Apparatus for hulling and testing rice and other grains



Sept. 15, 1925. 1,553,478

w. D. SMITH APPARATUS roa aumme ma 'rss'rme arcs AND- omsa'eauus Filed llay 19, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IQVENTUR F WILLiA-M IlEMITI-I- IE'E Mi W AT T DRNEYS Sept. 15, 1925. 1,553,478

w. D. SMITH APPARATUS FOR HULLING AND TESTING RICE AND OTHER GRAINS Fil'ed llay 19,- 1925 2- Sheets-Sheet 2 WILLIAM DEMITH l r e 1'6 Q WITNESSES Mia; a 79: Mfg

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ATTORNEYS INVENTER? Patented Sept. 15, 1925.

UNIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. SMITH, OI NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES.

APPARATUS 'FOR BUILDING AND TESTING RICE AND OTHER GRAINS.

Application filed May 19, 1925. Serial- No. 31,450.

Gunman UNDER. THE ACT or mm'en s, 1883; 22 sum. 1.. 625.

To all whomit may concern):

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and an employee of the Department of Agriculture of the United States of America, residing at New Orleans, Louisiana, whose post-oflice address is New Orleans, Louisiana, have invented an Apparatus for Hulling and Test ing Rice and Other Grains, of which the following is a specification.

This application is made under the act of March a, 1883, chapter 143 (22 Stat, 625), and the invention herein described 4 and claimed may be used by the Government of the United States or any. of its officers or employees in the prosecution of work for the Government, or any person in the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The objects of my invention are to provide a device which is adapted accurately to remove the hulls from rough rice, or other similar grains, so thatany defects of the kernel, the texture of the kernel, and

=' the color of the kernel may be more readily determined, and to test the relative hardness, the resistance to breakage, or milling quality of a sample of rough rice, brown rice, or any other grain. I

The nature, characteristic features, and

scope of my invention will be morev readily understood from thefollowing description taken in connection with accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, wherein: Fig. 1 is a side view of the entire device, including motor for operating and table for supporting same; Fig. 2 is a. side view of my device without one of the sides in place, showing relative positions of the base and the block wh n the device is in operation; Fig. 3 is a topview of my device, including the hopper through which the rice is dumped after rubbing; Fig. 4 is a side view of the base of my device. Fig. 5 is a view of the block which operates over the base.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a base made of wood, or other suitable material, which is square at the bottom A and the top B of which is hollowed in the form of a semi-circle. This curved surface B has a covering B of leather or other suitable material. C represents a block made of wood, or other suitable material, flat on top represents the links of chain whichfasten the block O with the arms G. These links of chain may be fastened at one end to the block O by screw-eyes O and at theother end to the armsG by hooks G or by bolts, or in any other suitable manner. The arms G are fastened to shaft H and connected with the block O by links of chain F. I represents a handle fastened to the shaft H. J represents the sides of the device, which are equipped with bearings J to form the support for the shaft H, and hold the moving parts of the device, O, F, G, H, and I in line with the surface B of the base A.

Y The structural parts constituting my device may be constructed of any material which is sufficiently strong and durable to withstand the strain of the operations to moval of the hulls from the grain and in the rubbing of the grain kernels. I prefer to construct the base A of tough, well seasoned wood, and to cover the surface B with h0gskin. leather B, I prefer to construct the block O. of tough, well seasoned wood, and to cover the surface D. with hog-skin leather D. To make the block O of a given weight, I prefer to place the required amount of sheet lead E on the top surface E. The chain F should be strong and of such nature that it will not kink. I prefer to use only two or three links F in each iece, each link having an inside opening 0 mately one and one-quarter inches by onehalf inch. The chains F should be of such length that as the block O is pulled in one direction by the arms G the chain on the opposite side of the block C will be slack. I prefer to. construct the arms G and the handle I of inch gas pipe. I prefer to construct the shaft H of H; inch solid shafting. The lower ends G of the arms G should not be more than four and one-half inches distant from the block C. I prefer to construct the sides of the device J of tough, we1l seasoned, wood, not less than one inch thick. The sides J should be fastened to the base A very securely'with screws A.

approxi- I For operating the device byhand a handle (not shown) may be attached to the end I of rod I, or for operating bymotor as shown in the drawing a connecting rod 0 may be fastened at end I of rod I, and at the other end 0' to a slotted projection N fastened to the outside of a sprocket wheel Q by means of rivets P. The sprocket wheel Q, is connected by a drive chain R to a second sprocket wheel T, which is on one end of a shaft (not shown) having a reduction gear (not shown) at its opposite end. This reduction gear is adapted to be rotatedby means of another gear (not shown) attached to shaft U shown with coupling V, said shaft extending to the motor (not shown) in the housing V. The reduction gear and.

the gear meshing therewith are contained in the housing X. When assembled the device is fastened to a table W by means of clamps M. These clamps M are provided with slots M to permit of the movement of the base A from a horizontal position to a vertical position, thereby permitting the dumping of the grain through the hopper K which is fastened by any suitable means to the'sides J of my device, which hopper K is provided with aslide or door L. Bolts M are affixed to either side of the device and these bolts pass through the slots of the clamps M and the movement of the device from a horizontal to a vertical position'is accomplished by these means.

In practicing my invention, I place the material to be hulled, or tested, in the centerofsurface B, and then propel the block C back and forth over the surface B to allow the material to fall back to the center of surface B after each stroke of the block, to.

remove by friction the hulls from the grain, and to cause the weaker kernels in a sample to break.

The operation of my device may be by hand, by motor, or by any other power.- If the device is operated by hand the strokes should be made in an even uniform manner.

In practicing my invention, I prefer to use a motor as a means of power, in connect-ion with a reduction-gear unit and suitable parting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

I claim:

A device for the purpose described, consisting of a base with a curved upper surface, covered with leather, a block with a curved lower surface also covered with leather operating back and forth over the curved surfaceof the base; a shaft with.

handle and arms, fastened to the block as a means of propelling the block; and sides fastened to the base as a means of enclosin the device and for supporting the shaft an arms fastened to the block.

WILLIAM D. SMITH.- 

